High-capacity wind turbine prepped for installation in Pingtan

The preparation work for installing a wind turbine with an installed capacity of 16 megawatts has been completed in an offshore wind farm in Pingtan, Southeast China's Fujian province, which is claimed to be the first one in the world with such a big capacity.

The turbine can be installed as long as weather conditions stay suitable, according to a report by China Media Group (CMG) on Sunday.

Including its power generation system, this wind turbine has achieved domestic production for key components, according to the turbine's chief designer, Gao Yazhou, cited by CMG in another report on June 17.

In addition, the turbine's application of digital and intelligent systems has improved its environmental adaptability, making it suitable for wide application along the country's southeastern coast, he said.

"The continuously increasing single-unit power generation capacity of offshore wind turbines will effectively enhance the economic viability of offshore wind power," Gao said.

The turbine will be installed by a giant vessel which has already been put into place, having just completed the installation work for a wind turbine with an installed capacity of 13 megawatts.

Baihetan, an offshore wind power installation platform with a lifting capacity of 2,000 metric tons, arrived at the installation site in the wind farm on Saturday and has finished the pitching of piles.

The to-be-installed 16-MW turbine's hub is 152-meters in height, 34 meters higher than that of normally applied 10-MW offshore wind turbines, according to Li Gang, the shipmaster of Baihetan, which belongs to China Three Gorges Co.

The wind turbine's blades and hub will be fastened together at the high altitude with 176 sets of high-strength bolts, requiring very high performance of the installation vessel, Li told CMG.

"The vessel is one of the most advanced self-elevating and self-propelled offshore wind power installation platforms in China," he said, adding that it can operate in a depth of up to 70 meters underwater.

According to Li, the ship has four pile legs, which will go deep into the seabed and finally lift an entire platform. It will not be affected by wind or waves, so it's more stable to work, Li added.

When put into operation and connected to the grid, the turbine is able to generate 34.2 kilowatt-hours of electricity per rotation with full wind speed, equivalent to the average electricity applied by a family of three in a week, CMG reported.

China's newly installed capacity of grid-connected wind power reached 49.83 million kilowatts in 2022, with offshore wind power accounting for over 10 percent. The country's accumulated installed offshore wind power capacity has exceeded 30 million kilowatts, according to China Renewable Energy Society, quoted by the Beijing News.